It all started when…

As a young child, I enjoyed being outside playing with the animals and observing wildlife and plants.  when I was six I had my first garden.  Throughout my primary education I focused on ecology and how it applied to gardening and food.  By the time I started college I was changing the way I gardened from single focus to a systems approach.  As a teacher I have always had a gardening project going with my class.

When I started gardening I was interested in growing flowers.  While I was learning how to arrange plants for best aesthetics and growth, I got interested in how plants grow and why some foods have seeds. 

First, I started growing the easy seeds, like melons, squash, and avocados.  Then, I wanted to try harder seeds, like bananas, roses, and strawberries.  Sometimes, I was successful, other times not so much.  Each time a seed didn’t sprout, I researched why and how I could do better.

From my experiences starting seeds from the foods I ate, I started becoming interested in growing food plants.  I grew these plants in the same manner as my flowers and landscapes.  I needed to learn about the various plants’ growth patterns and needs to do this well.  

Entering high school, I became more interested in environmental sciences.  I participated in a study of setting up a colony on Mars, in my Environmental Studies classes.  I learned about nutrient cycles, water cycles, and oxygen/ carbon dioxide cycles from this exercise.  I was taught about how different plants use nutrients and water differently.  I was introduced to crop rotation .

The Mars colonization project, also, focused on self-sufficiency, by understanding how the natural world works.  I started my interest in organic gardening.  Growing food using nature as a partner instead of a competitor, my “Martian colonists” would be able to survive longer.  I hypothesized that this same method can be used on Earth and with children to provide food for the gardeners and their families.

Throughout college and my career I have started gardens in each school I worked using these methods to achieve the most productive results in the garden and in the children’s’ learning.  Companion planting helps teach social skills.  Succession planting and intensive panting makes it easier to use smaller spaces.  Added to the general gardening study, I use the garden to teach environmental science, astronomy, soil science, water & nutrient cycles, and interdependency, including food chains, and food webs.